Jumpers are used in subsea applications to connect the production outlet of a Christmas tree to another subsea component, such as a manifold, that may be some distance away, such as from about 50 yards to about several miles. At least a portion of the jumper is buoyant and sufficiently flexible to cause the jumper to assume a vertical arcuate configuration when installed. One end of the jumper has a connector that can be guided by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) into a mating socket located at the wellhead or manifold, as the case may be.
Conventional jumpers typically employ horizontal connections, i.e., the connectors and mating sockets are designed to mate horizontally. A drawback of this design is that pull-in loads can cause undue bending stresses on the subsea structure and possible disconnection of the jumper connections. Disconnection can also occur from the effects of gravity acting on the mass of the jumper connector.
At least one device manufactured by Unitech has sought to solve this problem by locking the jumper connector in place with a pair of vertical locking poles. A drawback of this design is that it requires a very precise alignment of the connector with the mating socket for the connection to be made. If the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is unable to align precisely the connector with the mating socket, the connector can get hung up on the vertical locking poles, which can damage the equipment and may prevent the connection from being made.